The Long Way Round
by TheOnlineTypewriter
Summary: Set after Season 13 with flashbacks to previous episodes. Tony's search for Ziva and their return to their family... the long way round. Tiva family
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

 **~ Tony ~**

Israel, 2013  
 _"Tony... you are so..." Ziva started to comment as the pair stood on the airport tarmac, her eyes starting to tear up.  
"Handsome? Funny?" Tony joked in reply, trying to defuse the tension of the situation between them. "What?"  
Ziva took a moment before finally answering.  
"Loved." Ziva replied, her voice an emotional whisper, a far cry from her usual confident self. Without hesitation, the pair closed the space between them and kissed, then Tony walked away, trying to keep Ziva in sight as long as he could until he had to step into the plane._

Washington DC, 2016  
Years passed, and the memory remained vivid in Tony's mind. The team changed around, and life went on, but that conversation and that kiss remained a fixture in his memory. Then, Kort happened.

 _Tony stood in confused curiosity as Director Elbaz asked another agent to bring someone in. Confusion took a greater share when the agent lead in a toddler, no more than 2 or 3 years old. However, his confusion disappeared being changed with shock when the Mossad director said her next words.  
"Tali... is Ziva's daughter." The director informed the room. "And your daughter, Tony."  
Tony, usually full of comments and quips, was utterly speechless at the information._

Without any warning, Tony DiNozzo Junior was a father, or rather an Abba, to a young girl. He was faced simultaneously with the grief of having lost Ziva and the brand-new responsibility of fatherhood to Tali, though the latter was eased as he found that Ziva had taught Tali about him. However, these emotions had continued to churn and boil, even leading Tony to snap at Gibbs, something he wouldn't have dared imagine a few years prior. He had decided to leave NCIS to focus on being a full-time father to Tali, his first step being taking her to Israel and to Paris. Israel provided no answers, the Mossad director insisting that they'd let Tony know 'everything they could'. The former agent searched for answers in Tel Aviv, any glimmer of closure or hope, but all the trails ran cold. Finally, Tony gave in and went to the next destination on his list: Paris.

Paris, 2016  
Once in Paris, he was able to rent a small apartment for him and Tali, an easier choice than the expense and difficulty of hotel rooms, with a pushchair and other paraphernalia needed for a toddler. Between caring for Tali, trying to teach her some English, and the surprisingly regular calls from Senior, Tony enjoyed being back in the city, remembering when he had come there with the old team, with Ziva, all those years before. He even returned to the little café where he and Ziva had been at in the picture that Tony had found in Tali's go-bag. He was standing in front of this café, trying to unbuckle Tali from her pushchair when someone brushed past him. It wasn't a major bump but was enough to be noticed. Tony straightened his posture and looked both ways, trying to see who was responsible but was only faced by crowds going in both directions. He patted his pockets, wary that it might have been a pickpocket, but everything seemed to still be where it was meant to. However, when he patted his back pocket, he felt something odd. He drew it out and found it was an envelope. It was mostly unremarkable but had a single remarkable feature: it had Tony's name written on it, in a familiar handwriting. Tony looked around again but once again saw no indication of who had bumped into him. Once he had unfastened Tali and sat her calmly in a provided highchair, Tony opened the envelope. It had a piece of paper, on it with the same handwriting. It had an address on it, a flat only a few streets from the café, in the opposite direction to where Tony's and Tali's apartment was. He deliberated for hours about whether to go to the address, this mental deliberation taking until the next day when he relented and took Tali to the address. It was a first floor flat, the building filled with French natives. As he came to the doorstep, the door had been immediately buzzed open without Tony having to ring anyone. He looked at the doorbells before he entered the building and was intrigued by the label next to his destination, which read 'Rainier', the surname used by the pair the first time they had gone undercover together, as a married couple of assassins. He reached the inside doorstep and knocked. There were slow steps inside, someone seeming almost tentative to answer the door. The door opened slowly, and Tony inhaled deeply, unsure of what to expect on the other side.

 **~ Ziva ~**

Israel, 2013  
 _Ziva searched for the words to say as she looked at Tony who had come across the world to find her.  
"Tony... you are so..." She started to remark, emotions stripping her of her ability to speak and find the right adjective  
"Handsome? Funny?" Tony quipped in reply, giving Ziva a spark of humour and happiness enough to speak. "What?"  
Ziva took another second until she settled on the best choice of adjective.  
"Loved." Ziva replied, her voice sounding emotional at the enormity of the confession. The next thing she knew, Ziva and Tony had closed the distance between them and kissed._

Similarly, the memory of that night on the Israeli airport tarmac stayed vividly in Ziva's mind throughout the weeks that followed. However, a few weeks later, a worry took a greater portion of Ziva's mind as she woke up feeling nauseous several days in a row, as well as a few other significant symptoms. She took a test, and had her fears confirmed: she was pregnant. Leaning on help from the older women she knew, Ziva handled the pregnancy and 9 months later, Tali came into the world, healthy and happy. She was the light of Ziva's life, though the former agent always had a pang of regret that she couldn't tell Tony, Tali's father, for worry he would abandon his life in America, and Ziva didn't want him to do that and regret it later. Ziva and Tali lived together in Ziva's late father's farmhouse, until three years later.

Israel, 2016  
It was an early morning in early May when there was intense knocking at the farmhouse door. Ziva got up and ran to the doorway, opening it to find Mossad Director Orli Elbaz.  
"Ziva, may I come in?" Orli asked. Ziva nodded and let the director in.  
"You seemed very insistent with your knocking." Ziva commented once she'd closed the door.  
"You're straight to the point as ever, Ziva." Orli replied. "That's good as I must make this brief. In all technicality, I am not here. I'm sure you will be able to appreciate the confidentiality."  
Ziva nodded.  
"Your and Tali's lives are in danger." Orli told Ziva. "We've received intelligence that Trent Kort has escaped custody and has hired a local hitman to target you, but we can't tell who the hitman is." Ziva inhaled and her mind raced through what to do or say.  
"Well, what do you need me to do?" Ziva queried.  
"In short, Mossad needs you to die." Orli replied. Orli then gave Ziva a package containing a fake passport and account details, everything she needed to start fresh somewhere else in the world. Orli also told Ziva that Mossad would claim no knowledge of the plan, even to Ziva's closest allies. Whether she re-established contact with her old acquaintances would be Ziva's choice. Ziva was also given a file on the current intelligence on an international network of spies responsible for several terror attacks across the world, which Kort was a high-ranking member of.  
"Agencies around the world are too entangled to take on this network." Orli informed Ziva. "Neutralising them will require someone more… freelance."

And so, a few days later, the farmhouse was reduced to ashes by mortar fire, though Ziva was already out of the country before this. The hardest part of the whole situation was leaving enough proof for Kort and his allies to believe that Ziva was truly dead. Unfortunately, this meant the hardest choice that Ziva ever had to make, leaving Tali behind. She had already organised with Elbaz for Tali to be taken to live with Tony in America. The night before Ziva left the country, she stood by Tali's cot as the toddler slept.  
"I hope we meet again, _motek._ " Ziva said to her daughter through tears. "Your Ima loves you so much, _mami_."  
Most of the Davids' possessions had been moved into storage, with the exception of a few bags Ziva took with her, and Tali's go-bag.

Ziva travelled around the world, working alone to begin disassembling the criminal network which Mossad had codenamed the 'Turncoats'. She kept tabs on her 'family' back in Washington DC, though, including Tony's travels to Israel. When she found out he was travelling to Paris, Ziva made a decision and travelled to Paris as well.

Paris, 2016  
Using an apartment confidentially owned by the Davids, Ziva stayed in Paris for months, working on the Turncoats' members in DGSE and DNRED. She also walked along the streets, hoping to see some glimpse of Tony and Tali. Worrying for what Tony's reaction would be if they were reunited in public, Ziva wrote the apartment's address on a card and sealed it in an envelope. She was walking along a familiar road when she stopped at the sight across the road. There, sitting in a pushchair, was unmistakably Tali, and presumably facing away from her, tending to Tali was Tony. Taking the envelope from her bag and pulling her jacket around her to avoid Tali recognising her, Ziva crossed the road and brushed up against Tony, siding the envelope into his pocket in the process and making sure to become part of the crowd a few moments later.

Later, Ziva was back at her apartment. She was looking through notes and pictures, all the information she had been able to gather on the Turncoats' presence in France. She was working in silence when there was a knock at the door. Ziva closed the file, hid it away and took a deep breath. She stood and walked nervously to the doorway, picturing what might happen after she opened the door. When she reached the door, she took another moment to compose herself and opened the door. Immediately, there was a squeal.  
"IMA!" Tali squealed, reaching out her arms. Tali was buckled in the pushchair, so without much thought, Ziva knelt and unbuckled the chair before picking up Tali and holding her close. Ziva cooed over her daughter in Hebrew, and Tali laughed. About five minutes later, Ziva looked up to see Tony still standing in the doorway, frozen in place with his mouth half open. Ziva stared back at Tony and even Tali quietened, sensing the shock and nerves of her parents.  
"Hello, Tony." Ziva greeted.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. This is my first time writing an NCIS fic. I will be writing a few more chapters before I do any more reunions. Please remember to review, and I hope you stick with me.**

 **Keep on Reading  
-ToAC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Awkward Reunions**

Paris, 2016 _  
Ziva looked up to see Tony still standing in the doorway, frozen in place with his mouth half open. Ziva stared back at Tony and even Tali quietened, sensing the shock and nerves of her parents.  
"Hello, Tony." Ziva greeted._

Tony remained silent for another minute at least before he finally found his voice again.  
"Zi… Ziva." He finally managed to say. "You're here."  
"Yes, and so are you." Ziva replied.  
"I thought you were dead." Tony stated, slowly stepping inside the apartment.  
"That was the idea." Ziva replied. "I'm so sorry to put you and the team through that, but it was for the safety of all of you."  
"How?" Tony asked, his voice and temper momentarily flaring with anger.  
Ziva sat on a sofa in the main area of the apartment, Tali on her lap, and gestured at Tony to do the same. He stood for a moment in protest before conceding and doing so. Ziva proceeded to give Tony a summary of his activities over the last three years. Afterwards, Tony put his head in his hands.  
"You could have told us." He remarked. "The team would have been able to help."  
"It was too risky to the mission, and to the team." Ziva replied. "I didn't want to put your lives in danger because of me."  
"That wasn't your choice!" Tony argued. "You know that we'd always be by your side."  
Ziva went to argue again but Tali began to cry because of the raised voices, and so the two adults went quiet and reacted by trying to calm Tali. After the day so far, Tali's outburst had used up the last of the energy, so her parents placed her in her pushchair, so she could nap before they walked to the kitchen for some distance.  
"I understand if you're angry." Ziva said in a hushed tone. Tony sighed.  
"It was more shock than anger." Tony confessed. "You could have told me about Tali, about the plot on your life. Remember what I told you when you left for Israel."  
Both remembered the night so similar to their final meeting, but on American soil instead of Israeli.

 _Ziva stood watching the plane that would take her and her father back to Israel, so that the latter could be put to rest on familiar ground. She was stood by the fence when her old friend Shmiel walked over to talk to her.  
"They've loaded your father aboard." Shmiel informed Ziva. "I told his escorts he doesn't like peanuts, so they gave him pretzels instead."  
"Go with him, Shmeil." Ziva requested and instructed. "I'll be there in a moment."  
"Take your time. It's a long flight." Shmiel requested in return. "Besides, I think someone's come to see you off."  
Slightly confused, Ziva turned to see Tony approaching them as Shmiel walked away.  
"You did not have to come." Ziva told Tony, her tone somewhere between scolding and thankful.  
"Well, You always forget your gum and magazines when you fly, so..." Tony replied. "They'll find Bodnar, Ziva. Mossad's looking, CIA, Navy Intel, Interpol... us."  
Tony punctuated each agency, and put even more emphasis on the fact that NCIS, that he, was looking for Bodnar.  
"Shmeil's got your back. Shmeil, the man of steel." Tony assured Ziva and joked slightly before the joking façade disappeared for a second.  
"Don't do this." He requested  
"I'm going to a funeral, Tony." Ziva insisted. "I'm delivering my father's eulogy."  
"How's this for a... an opening line: 'He did it his way'?" Tony suggested, slightly jokingly.  
"My father was... not an easy man to understand, and yet..." Ziva commented, struggling to find the appropriate words.  
"Complicated runs in the family." Tony responded.  
"Tony, I..." Ziva started, words now failing her completely and her eyes beginning to tear up.  
"What?" Tony asked. Still struggling to find the words, Ziva let her actions speak for her and she hugged Tony, holding him close.  
"Aht lo leh-vahd." Tony whispered, the Hebrew phrase making Ziva smile._

The pair stood in silence in the kitchen for a while, just staring at each other.  
"Aht lo leh-vad." Tony finally repeated. "You are not alone."  
"I remember." Ziva stated.  
"You've faced the last three years of challenges, you went through your pregnancy and childbirth, all without telling us anything." Tony stated.  
"Yes, but I wasn't alone." Ziva reminded Tony. "I had Orli and some old… colleagues from Mossad."  
Tony sighed.  
"That wasn't what I meant." Tony remarked. Both went silent again.  
"You know, I've imagined us meeting again nearly everyday since you left." Ziva informed Tony. "This is not how I imagined it happening."  
"Me neither." Tony admitted. "I guess I imagined something more like the ending of Dark Knight Rises."  
Ziva raised an eyebrow and smirked at the remark which was just like the Tony she remembered. The pair fell into silence again, this silence somehow more awkward than both of the last times. Ziva had an idea and walked over to one of the kitchen cupboards, taking out a bottle of amber liquid.  
"Whisky?" Tony queried.  
"A reminder of Gibbs." Ziva replied with a small smile.  
"What? You had a memento of old Gibbs, but not me?" Tony quipped. Ziva looked at Tony with a confused expression before gesturing towards the main room of the apartment with her head.  
"I had one come out of the black, as you would say." Ziva commented.  
"Blue, Ziva." Tony replied almost by reflex. "Tali came out of the blue."  
Ziva nodded.  
"That actually makes more sense." Ziva said. The pair chuckled slightly.  
"So, Rainier?" Tony asked with a smirk. "Like our first undercover mission together?"  
Ziva smirked.  
"It certainly left an impression, mon petit pois." Ziva replied, glad to be over the awkwardness and tension at least for a moment. Ziva poured two glasses of whisky, then handed one to Tony who took it thankfully. The pair drank in silence then Tony took a deep breath.  
"What can I do to help?" Tony asked. Ziva looked at him with confusion.  
"How can I help you disassemble the Turncoats?" Tony queried. Ziva frowned.  
"No, no, no." Ziva replied. "I cannot draw you into this. I can't make you help my mission."  
"You're not making me do anything." Tony insisted. "I am choosing to join your mission. It's like you said, this job requires someone who's not a member of any intelligence agency. As of now, that could be either of us, so why not both of us?"  
Ziva went quiet for a while, debating what Tony had said.  
"We can't both be putting our lives at risk." Ziva remarked. "We have Tali to think about."  
"Tali is also the reason we should work together." Tony argued. "You're going to need somebody covering your six, unless you want a bullet in it."  
Ziva sighed and scowled slightly.  
"You're not going to give this up, are you?" She queried.  
"You do remember what I'm like." Tony responded with a DiNozzo grin. Ziva shook her head but smiled She walked back to the main room of the apartment and got out the files she had been hiding away.  
"Let's make a start, then." Ziva remarked, handing Tony the file. However, before they could start discussing the particulars of the French operation, Tali woke up. Leaving Tony to read through the file, Ziva walked through the apartment to the pair's daughter and tended to her.  
"Missed you, Ima." Tali commented, making Ziva tear up.  
"I missed you too, motek." Ziva replied. "Every single day."  
Once she had cared for Tali, Ziva carried her through to the kitchen, carrying Tali on her hip. Tony looked up from the file and smiled.  
"Now that's an image that I never thought I would see." Tony commented, looking at the two women he loved most in his life. Ziva smiled and looked between Tony and Tali.  
"I am glad we're here, together." Ziva admitted. "I just wish we could be with the rest of our family, but we don't know who in NCIS might be a Turncoat."  
Tony sighed.  
"It won't be one of the team." Tony assured Ziva. "I understand, though, that some lips may be a bit loose."  
Ziva nodded.  
"We'll get back to them, though." Ziva assured Tony. "We'll just have to go the same way as you had to find me again."  
"What way would that be?" Tony queried, making Ziva ponder for a second.  
"The long way round." Ziva answered, before her expression turned more serious. "Now, where do you want to begin?"

 **A/N: Hello again. Thank you for reading this, especially to everyone who's followed or favourited this story, and especially to the reviewers. I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter. Feel free to make any suggestions of what to include in the story, as I want to make it the story you want, as the audience. You can do this by review or sending me a PM.**

 **Keep on Reading  
-TheOnlineTypewriter**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Taking on the Turncoats**

Paris, 2016  
Tony sat in front of a Parisian café, waiting for an arranged meeting. He was dressed fairly inconspicuously but professional to seem like his cover. He remembered back to a few days prior when he and Ziva had organised this meeting.

 _Ziva and Tony were standing in Ziva's apartment. Tali was asleep in the back bedroom, though the pair had monitors to make sure she was still sleeping. The pair were sat in the 'dining area' of the apartment, poring over intelligence that Ziva had collected about potential Turncoat members working from she had received from previous targets across the world.  
"This is our way in to the French Turncoats." Ziva commented. "Gerard Marchelle is a DGSE agent who has been rumoured to be selling confidential files to black market traders and arms dealers. With any luck, we'll be able to get a meeting with him and get his files, which will lead us to the rest of the Turncoats in the organisation."_

Tony straightened his posture as he saw the target approach him.  
"He's in sight." Tony whispered into a concealed radio.  
"I can see that." Ziva replied. "You play your part, and I'll play mine."  
Tony changed his face to a neutral expression and stood as the DGSE agent walked up to him. However, just before he reached Tony, someone walked into the DGSE agent. The action only took a moment but caused Marchelle to stumble. Once he had regained his balance, Marchelle walked the last bit of distance to Tony.  
"You must be Agent Marchelle." Tony greeted.  
"Mr Ocean." The DGSE agent greeted. Hearing the conversation over the radio, Ziva rolled her eyes. Whilst she agreed that the pair needed to work under pseudonyms, she had (unsuccessfully) tried to get him to not use a name from a movie. And so, Tony was posing as Daniel Ocean, a former CIA agent, now a freelance mercenary. They had organised the meeting through the Dark Web, under the pretence of getting schematics of a government facility for a heist. Marchelle sat across from Tony.  
"Can I see the items?" Tony asked. Marchelle nodded and took a manila folder out from his jacket. He placed it on the table and opened it, showing the contents to Tony. Inside was definitely schematics, showing floorplans and annotated photos of the facility they had discussed.  
"Before I hand these over, do you have the payment?" Marchelle asked. Tony took a briefcase from beside him and unlocked it, turning the briefcase towards the Turncoat. Inside was 1 million euros.  
"The amount you asked for." Tony stated.  
"We've got it. Do part 2 of the plan." Ziva instructed Tony over the radio. Just as she gave the instruction, DNRED and Interpol agents stood and moved towards the pair, causing Marchelle to panic. Whilst Marchelle panicked, Tony grabbed the briefcase, closing it and sprinting away from the café. A DNRED agent began to follow him, but Tony was able to shake the tail.  
 _'I've still got it._ ' Tony thought to himself, though he was out of breath. As he reached a road, out of sight of the café, a FIAT pulled up in front of him. The driver quickly opened the door and Tony saw it was Ziva driving.  
"Get in." She instructed. Tony obliged and Ziva re-joined the French traffic.

Whilst Tony had been sitting, waiting for Marchelle, Ziva had also been lying in wait. When Tony had mentioned the agent approaching, Ziva quipped back before striding from where she had been standing. She walked straight into Marchelle. In the ensuing stumble, Marchelle didn't notice Ziva drop a small widget into his jacket pocket. Whilst Tony and Marchelle had their brief discussion, the widget connected to Marchelle's phone and cloned all the files, transmitting them to a laptop Ziva was using in the car a street away. Once all the files had been transmitted, Ziva told Tony to get out of the area. The couple had given Interpol an anonymous tip that Marchelle was trading government secrets. Whilst the money and the identity of the prospective buyer wouldn't be discovered, Marchelle having schematics on his person, and the eyewitness testimony of a dozen DNRED and Interpol agents would be enough for any prosecutor to use. In addition to getting their first French Turncoat behind bars, the meeting had also provided Tony and Ziva the intelligence needed to disassemble the entire French section of the Turncoats, as Marchelle's files included encrypted communications to other members of the network, providing identities and tactics to the pair.

Over the following weeks, the two freelance agents caused the collapse of the French section. One day, they were discussing their next steps when Tony got a phone call from McGee. The NCIS agent sounded excited over the phone.  
"Woah, slow down, McSpeedy!" Tony instructed. "What are you trying to say?"  
McGee gave Tony some news and Ziva, who had been cuddling Tali, saw her partner grin.  
"Well, give Delilah my best." Tony said to McGee before ending the call.  
"What did McGee want to tell you?" Ziva asked once Tony had concluded the call.  
"Probie has gotten himself engaged." Tony informed Ziva, which made the woman smile.  
"Who is the lucky woman?" Ziva asked. "You can't really call him Probie now he's the most senior agent apart from Gibbs."  
"You wouldn't have met Delilah, but she is a good match for McGee." Tony replied.  
"Well, I've always trusted your judgement of people." Ziva replied, and Tony gave her an incredulous look. "Well, most of the time and nearly always. So, what are we going to do?"  
"The files say that apart from France, the only country where the Turncoats operate at any significance in mainland Europe is Germany." Tony replied. "So, do you have any safehouses in Deutschland?"  
"My father bought this and an apartment in Munich under the same shell corporation." Ziva informed Tony. "It shouldn't cause too much alarm to move between them."

And so, it was decided, Tony, Ziva, and Tali's next destination was set. However, Tony kept the payments up on the Paris apartment, wanting to return to the city after they had dealt with the Turncoats' European component in its entirety, saying that he wanted to spend some time as a family with both Tali and Ziva. With the European intel they had gathered from Marchelle and subsequent Turncoats, the remainder of the network's contingent was disassembled within weeks, and the pair returned to Paris for a brief respite from the vigilantism, as well as to stop Turncoats elsewhere in the world from catching on and reacting.

One day during their small rest period, The family was in Tony's apartment when there was a knock on the door and an all too familiar voice spoke from the other side.  
"Tony? Are you in there?" Senior's voice asked through the door. Tony and Ziva looked to each other with a shocked expression. Ziva ran through to the bedroom, and Tony tentatively stepped across to the front door of the apartment. After checking behind to see that Ziva was out of sight, Tony opened the door.  
"Dad? What are you doing here?" Tony asked, his voice and behaviour unusually evasive.  
"What? Can't I visit my son and granddaughter?" Senior replied.  
"You can, but you don't." Tony stated.  
"Well, I was in the area for an art auction and thought it would be good to visit and see how you're doing." Senior replied. He tried to enter the apartment, but Tony blocked the doorway.  
"What are you trying to hide, son?" Senior queried with curiosity.  
"Oh, nothing. It's just…" Tony replied, his mind racing for an excuse. Tali's been quite sick and I don't want you to catch it."  
"Oh, nonsense." Senior responded. "You could do with the help."  
Tony continued trying to stop Senior from entering the apartment  
"Just let him in, Tony." Ziva commented, her voice sounding resolute. Tony looked into the apartment with confusion.  
"I didn't realise you had someone else around." Senior remarked. He stepped inside and froze in place.  
"It can't be." Senior finally remarked. "You died."  
"I didn't. I just had to disappear for a while." Ziva confessed. "But, your son has a knack of finding me even when I don't want to be found."  
"He's always been stubborn." Senior remarked.  
"He has." Ziva replied with a smirk.  
"Well, how about a proper introduction?" Senior requested, stepping towards Ziva with outstretched arms. Ziva obliged and hugged the older DiNozzo.  
"Did I cease existing in the last few minutes?" Tony queried, gaining a chuckle from both Ziva and Senior.  
"Well, I'm sure one little girl is very happy to have both parents in her life." Senior remarked, the implication clear in his voice.  
"I will go get Tali." Ziva commented, before stepping away. Tony tried to protest but the Israeli assassin was already gone, leaving Tony and Senior standing there, neither saying anything. She did return a few moments later though with Tali on her hip, meaning Tony and Senior didn't stand in silence for too long. Tali smiled and reached over to Senior who took her gratefully. The visit was slightly awkward, which also made it briefer than Senior most likely originally planned. As Senior was preparing to leave, Ziva and Tony stood by him.  
"Dad, you can't tell anybody about our situation." Tony insisted, urgency and worry of possible consequences clear in his voice. "Nobody at NCIS or in any agency can know about Ziva, as it might be dangerous for what I'm trying to achieve."  
"I understand that. What about your apartment, son?" Senior queried. "I'm guessing you're not coming back any time soon."  
"Even then, I don't really think we could raise Tali there. It has too many memories for both of us." Tony reasoned, looking to Ziva for a moment. "Give it to one of the team. They'll use it better. Say I'm staying in Paris indefinitely."  
Senior nodded.  
"Don't worry. I will keep your secret." Senior assured Tony and Ziva, who both nodded thankfully. "Who knows? I might come back for Christmas."  
Ziva and Tony smiled slightly and Senior exited. However, after he left, there was still an awkward silence between Tony and Ziva.  
"I know what you're wanting to ask." Ziva stated neutrally. Tony sighed.  
"After all of this is over, what are we going to do?" Tony asked. "We can't keep hiding from our family forever. Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, even Vance will never stop searching, and at some point, they'll find us."  
"I know, but I don't think I'm ready to go back. Not yet." Ziva replied. "The Turncoats are operating in Russia and in Asia, and we need to stop them. Maybe then, we can talk about whether we go back."  
The two lapsed into silence again and neither could deny the frostiness that had settled in the room. The frostiness remained for the remainder of the day, with neither Ziva or Tony saying many words to the other. Tali certainly picked up on the tension between her parents as her usually energetic and cheerful mood was more subdued. After he had tucked Tali in for the night, Tony walked through to the flat's master bedroom and leaned on the doorframe. Ziva was sat on the bed, facing away from the door.  
"I don't want to go to sleep angry." Tony remarked. "And I don't want you to either."  
Ziva turned to Tony and he saw that her eyes were slightly bloodshot, tears still fresh on the lids.  
"You think I'm angry at you?" Ziva asked.  
"Well, if not me, then what?" Tony queried in reply.  
"I'm angry that this is happening again." Ziva stated. "I left one family long ago, and the moment that I started to reconnect on any personal level, tragedy happens."  
"That won't happen to us." Tony assured Ziva, stepping across and crouching near the woman he loved. "We've all been through hell together, and we've survived before."  
Ziva sighed and shook her head.  
"I'm not sure I'm strong enough to see them again." Ziva confessed. "One person was tough, but everyone all over again?"  
"I understand that but think about it. I'll be there to support you, and the others will try to be as supportive as possible." Tony replied. "We can start slow, maybe Gibbs first. You know he's essentially a functional mute when needed. Just remember ' _Aht lo leh-vahd'_."  
Ziva smiled slightly.  
"I will think about it." Ziva assured Tony. The pair finished off their preparations for sleep and lied in bed together. Tony was a few moments from drifting away to sleep when he heard Ziva's voice.  
" _Ani ohevet otkha._ " Ziva whispered.  
" _Ani ohev otach_." Tony whispered back just as he fell asleep.

Russia, 2016  
A few weeks later, Ziva was standing in Red Square, Moscow. She and Tony were midway through disassembling the Turncoat's presence in the trans-continental country. The Russian intelligence agencies were inherently more secretive than their southern counterpart, so it was also tougher to rid the agencies of the Turncoats, Tony describing it as trying to find a needle in a haystack, without being able to see the haystack. The secrecy also meant that Ziva and Tony had to take on a more spirited approach to disassembling the Turncoats. That particular day's task was more reconnaissance and confirmation than any affirmative action. They had recovered intel from a previous catch that there was going to be an exchange between two Turncoats for files to leak to a terror cell linked to the Russian Bratva, potentially detailing the manufacturing of highly potent nerve agents. She started to walk across the square, trying to seem inconspicuous as she saw her first mark approach the meeting point. She was walking perilously close to the pair when her phone began to ring. She quickly answered it and stepped away from the pair.  
"Where are you?" Tony asked over the phone.  
"You do remember the plan, don't you?" Ziva replied. "I was going to check some information, and you were going to take care of Tali for the morning."  
"Well, you could have left a note or something." Tony replied, sounding slightly annoyed. "I woke up just to find you gone. I was worried something had happened to you."  
"You know I can take care of myself." Ziva replied, trying to sound equally annoyed but smiling slightly, her heart warming at Tony's worry for her.  
"Just make sure you call me if anything goes south." Tony instructed. Ziva agreed then hung up the phone. She continued to monitor the pair, and confirmed that there was an exchange of files, though she was obviously unable to determine the contents of the files at that point in time. However, after she was sure that the two had left, she walked over to the meeting point and reached under the seat, where she had taped a small recorder, which had been recording the whole conversation. She stored it in her jacket and began to walk briskly home. However, as she left Red Square, a black van drove up and screeched to a halt next to her. People dressed in black riot gear jumped out and grabbed Ziva. The woman was able to fight off a couple of them, but one drew a taser and hit Ziva in the waist, sending her sprawling onto the ground. Her hands were bound behind her back, and she was manhandled into the van, a bag put over her head. The van careened away, leaving no trace of the scuffle that had occurred mere moments prior.

 **A/N: Hi. Sorry for the gap between the last chapter and this one, but I've had a few rather busy weeks. I hope this longer chapter makes up for the gap. I will try to have a smaller gap before the next chapter is published, though I won't make any substantial promises. However, I will say that I'm planning on getting Ziva and Tony back stateside by the end of the next chapter. Once again, feel free to make any suggestions of what to include in the story, be it by review or PM, as I want to make it the story you want, as the audience.**

 **Keep on Reading  
-TheOnlineTypewriter**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Taking on the Turncoats (pt. 2)**

Russia, 2016 _  
Ziva stored her phone in her jacket and began to walk briskly home. However, as she left Red Square, a black van drove up and screeched to a halt next to her. People dressed in black riot gear jumped out and grabbed Ziva. The woman was able to fight off a couple of them, but one drew a taser and hit Ziva in the waist, sending her sprawling onto the ground. Her hands were bound behind her back, and she was manhandled into the van, a bag put over her head. The van careened away, leaving no trace of the scuffle that had occurred mere moments prior._

Meanwhile, across Moscow, Tony was in the family's apartment, tending to Tali who had caught a cold from the chilly Russian weather. She wasn't dealing with the symptoms well, and so her parents made sure at least one of them were with her at all times. However, their reconnaissance plan had included that Ziva would either be home by a particular time, or that she would phone to say she'd be later. It was now nearly an hour after she was meant to get back and she had not called Tony to tell him about any hold up, and so he was getting progressively more worried about his partner. Tony tried to call Ziva again but this time the phone went to voicemail.  
"Come on, Ziva. Where are you?" Tony asked himself. He then hung up and rang again, this time going on to his computer and using a program that pinged the phone. The program showed that Ziva's phone was still only a street away from Red Square, and it wasn't moving. Tony cursed under his breath, then ran to get his jacket.

Meanwhile, after being bashed around in the back of the van, Ziva was hauled into an unknown building, and cuffed to a chair, before the bag was ripped from her eyes and she was faced by bright lights, essentially blinding her. Unfortunately used to the situation she found herself in, Ziva's eyes adjusted quickly and she found that she was in a clinically white room, lit by glaring fluorescent tubes in the ceiling. Judging by the sounds around her, namely the dripping pipes and lack of traffic noise, Ziva could tell that she was underground somewhere.  
' _Oh, please don't let them have gotten Tony too'_ Ziva thought to herself remembering what had happened in Somalia years ago.

 _Ziva was shackled in a room with the desert air and heat coming in through a broken window. She was sitting silent, alone, and injured when there was movement outside her cell. She saw some of Saleem's men enter, before a hood was pulled over her head and she was hauled out of the room. They hauled her through the terrorists' base's corridors, towards another cell where Ziva could hear voices, though she wasn't able to determine who was speaking. She was shoved into a char and Saleem started shouting instructions, seeming angry at something.  
"Questions are being asked in town about missing NCIS agents, concern that U.S. forces might mobilize." Saleem stated before giving an order. "One of you will tell the identities and locations of all the operatives in the area and the other one will die."  
Saleem then ripped the bag from Ziva's face and she was met by the last face she was expecting to see. Tony was sat in front of her, seeming beaten up.  
"I'll give you a moment to decide who lives." Saleem remarked, before stepping out of the room.  
"Well, how was your summer?" Tony asked, as usual trying to lighten the mood. _

Of course, in Somalia, Tony had a plan and Gibbs as backup, but this time, Ziva was alone and Tony was hindered by the responsibility of Tali. A man with crew-cut blonde hair, dressed in riot gear stood in front of Ziva. When he spoke, he had a thick accent showing he was from the St Petersburg area.  
"What were you doing watching FSB and FIS agents?" The Russian asked.  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ziva answered, speaking Russian, though purposely making it slightly fractured, trying to seem more like a tourist. "I was waiting for someone, and they didn't show up, so I started to head home."  
"Do not lie. We saw what you did on the chair." The Russian declared. "We have already destroyed the recorder. Now, were you working alone, or do you have an accomplice?"

Meanwhile, Tony was sprinting to Red Square, having asked a neighbour to keep an eye on Tali until he got back to the apartment. He reached the street where Ziva's phone had last pinged, but found it empty, minus a few tourists walking towards the square.  
"Where are you, Ziva?" Tony asked himself. He rang Ziva's phone again, then heard ringing from near the road. He walked over and crouched near the ringing, finding the phone in the gutter of the road. However, next to where the phone had been dropped, Tony could see clear tyre marks.  
' _I'm going to need some help_ ' Tony thought to himself, as he took out his own phone, hesitated for a moment, then dialled a number.

Back in the interrogation basement, Ziva kept assuring the Russian interrogator that she was not trying to steal secrets, but the Russians were still unbelieving. With Ziva keeping her silence, they had abandoned Ziva in the basement for an indeterminably amount of time. When the Russian and his goons returned, they had resorted to beating the truth out of her. She was in pain, and tasting blood, and the Russian still interrogated her with the same ferocity.  
"Tell us who you are working with!" The Russian ordered.  
"Nobody!" Ziva responded, her voice sounding slightly pained. The Russian then took on a colder expression, and he stepped back.  
"I know who you are, or rather your record." The Russian stated. "We have had agents over the world detained because of the work of someone matching your description, and most have described another with you: an American."  
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ziva pleaded. "Who even are you?"  
"You know who we are." The Russian replied cockily. "If you're Mossad, you'd call us Turncoats. Now tell me. Who is the American?"  
At that moment, there were shouts from outside. The Russian dispatched his henchmen to see what was happening, which only added to the noise outside. Ziva struggled against her handcuffs. The Russian went to strike Ziva again just as the door to the chamber burst open and soldiers in fatigues burst in.  
"Stand back!" One of the soldiers, an austere middle eastern woman with slightly greying hair ordered, aiming an assault rifle at the Russian. The soldier spoke in a vaguely Israeli accent. The Russian did as the soldier asked, before reaching to their belt for their firearm. The soldier reacted quickly and slammed the Russian with the butt of their rifle. The Russian collapsed, then another of the soldiers frisked the unconscious body, finding the key to Ziva's handcuffs. The handcuffs were unlocked and Ziva was helped to her feet.  
"Ma'am, I'm Officer Mazal Azulay, with Mossad." The soldier who'd knocked out the Russian told Ziva. "We're here to extract you from Russia."  
The Mossad soldiers helped Ziva out of the building and once they were outside, Ziva saw someone running towards her. She felt relieved when she saw it was Tony approaching her, but then there was a flare of worried anger when she realised that he must have had some part in the rescue effort.  
"Tony?" Ziva asked. "What did you do?"  
"He called me." Somebody told Ziva, and she turned to see Orli standing near a bunch of unmarked vans.  
"You called Mossad." Ziva stated in realisation.  
"It seemed like the best option." Tony remarked. "Now, we need to get out of the country."  
"Why? What?" Ziva queried in confusion.  
"The FSB agents you were tortured by have linked you with your work in foreign intelligence, and you're now one of Russia's most wanted." Tony informed Ziva. "Not to mention that they will have informed the other Turncoats across the world."  
"I am talking to the director of the FSB, trying to smooth things over, but it would better for everyone involved to get you and your family out of the country." Orli added. "We have a plane waiting for you, Mr DiNozzo, and Tali."  
"Where are we being sent?" Ziva asked.  
"You'll spend a few weeks under protective custody in Tel Aviv." Orli informed the couple. "Once the situation has been smoothed over, you will be moved back stateside."  
"We're being sent back to America?" Ziva queried.  
"It is the best place for you three. You have contacts there." Orli replied. "You can be more protected there, and the Turncoats will be dissuaded from taking any action, if they have any operatives still in the United States"  
"What about the remaining Turncoats?" Ziva asked. "What are we going to do about them?"  
"You have been highly efficient in getting rid of the Turncoats across the world." Orli told Ziva. "You've given agencies some breathing room and we can take it from here. I am briefing the UN Security Council in 48 hours on the situation and what needs to be done to finish off the Turncoats."

Ziva tried to protest, but the pain of her injuries meant she conceded and allowed medics to treat her injuries. The very next day, once Ziva had been cleared to fly, she, Tony, and Tali were on a plane to Tel Aviv. They were placed in a safehouse on the outskirts of the city, in a mostly empty area so that they wouldn't be too noticed. However, Tony and Ziva made one excursion during their time in Israel. On Ziva's request, Tony drove her to the old David estate where the farmhouse used to stand. Where it once had been, there was now no sign that house had ever been there in the first place. The carcass of the farmhouse had been cleared, though there were still slight scorch marks indicating that something had been there before. Ziva sighed when she saw the site.  
"It's like it never happened." Ziva stated. The couple also walked across the estate to the orange grove, and Ziva brought a shovel she had packed in the car. They dug up the box which contained Ziva's 'I Will' list, feeling that it would be nice to have it with them when they migrated stateside. They spent the remainder of their time in Tel Aviv as a family, with Ziva showing Tony some of the rituals of her family, and some of her favourite spots in the city, which they hadn't been able to do in their previous visits, usually because they were busy with work. It took nearly a year and a half for Orli and her allies to smooth over the situation in Russia, mostly due to the Russian government's reluctance to do anything about the situation. Tony received regular updates from the other members of the MCRT team. They heard about many events through email and some caused them to feel disappointed that they weren't there to help or witness the event: McGee's marriage, Delilah's pregnancy, Abby leaving NCIS, and Clay's death to mention only a few. Once the situation with Russia had been solved, Orli organised for the family to travel back to America, which lead to some tension between Ziva and Tony. The night before they migrated, Tony and Ziva were sat in the main bedroom of the apartment Mossad had given them. Both were silent, as they were finalising their packing for the intercontinental move. Tony was putting the final items in, whilst Ziva stood completely still, her suitcase still open.  
"What's wrong?" Tony asked Ziva.  
"Are you sure we'll be welcome when we go back?" Ziva asked. "The team will be furious that we didn't tell them."  
"They might be angry at first, but they'll understand." Tony assured her partner. "Once the shock passes, they will have the same open armed approach to you that they always have."  
Ziva nodded slightly.  
"I certainly hope so." Ziva stated, her voice reflecting her nerves.

America, 2018  
The next day, the family boarded a commercial flight and flew across the Atlantic to Washington. They organised an apartment and set up their life again. The family took a week to acclimatise before Ziva agreed to allow some of their old friends to visit. As the pair had planned in Paris all those months ago, they started with Gibbs. Tony phoned the senior agent who agreed to visit the former agent at home. There was a knock on the door and Tony answered.  
"DiNozzo. It's been a while." Gibbs greeted with a slight smile. The pair shook hands and Tony allowed Gibbs into the house.  
"How have you been? How's Tali?" Gibbs asked.  
"Good, but I have something to tell you." Tony remarked. "I've been having some help."  
"Help?" Gibbs asked incredulously. "Have you found someone, Tony?"  
"You could say that." Ziva remarked, making both turn to the doorway she was speaking from. Gibbs eyes widened in shock for a moment.  
"Ziver. You're alive." Gibbs stated, sounding as if she expected but was still surprised by the revelation.

Over the rest of the evening, Ziva and Tony explained their situation, and Gibbs was accepting of the circumstances.  
"You were only doing what you needed to do to survive." Gibbs stated after they had completed their briefing. Ziva was relieved that Gibbs was so accepting of their circumstances.  
"Have you told anyone else in the team yet?" Gibbs queried. Both Tony and Ziva shook their heads.  
"I must confess I've been worrying how they'll react." Ziva informed Gibbs, who nodded.  
"You're just going to need to see how they do." Gibbs stated.

So, under the advice and with the assistance of Gibbs, Tony and Ziva found themselves back in the Navy Yard and familiar offices. Tony went first, stepping into the familiar arrangement of desks. Gibbs was the first to notice and gave Tony an understanding nod. McGee and Ellie turned to see Tony, as did Torres, a new agent Tony had been informed about over email.  
"Tony?" McGee and Ellie queried simultaneously.  
"Hi, guys." Tony replied.  
"How long have you been back in Washington?" McGee asked.  
"About a fortnight." Tony replied. "But, I have something to tell you, or rather show you."  
Having been listening to the conversation, Ziva took that as her cue and watched over to the desk cluster. McGee's stood and his eyes widened in shock, but Torres and Ellie just looked slightly confused.  
"Ellie Bishop, Nick Torres, Meet Ziva David." Tony remarked, and Ellie reacted the same way as McGee had a few seconds before. A tense silence fell over the room.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. I'm going to leave it here and give the reactions to a greater extent in the next chapter. I will love to hear what you think of this chapter. The end of this chapter is set after the end of the latest series by a few weeks.**

 **Keep on Reading  
-TheOnlineTypewriter**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Awkward Reunions 2**

" _How long have you been back in Washington?" McGee asked Tony.  
"About a fortnight." Tony replied. "But, I have something to tell you, or rather show you."  
Having been listening to the conversation, Ziva took that as her cue and watched over to the desk cluster. McGee's stood, and his eyes widened in shock, but Torres and Ellie just looked slightly confused.  
"Ellie Bishop, Nick Torres, Meet Ziva David." Tony remarked, and Ellie reacted the same way as McGee had a few seconds before. A tense silence fell over the room._

The cluster was silent for a few minutes before Ellie finally broke it.  
"Did I hear you right?" Ellie asked. "You're Ziva?"  
Ziva nodded.  
"You must be Ellie." Ziva replied with a smile. Ellie nodded and walked around her desk, holding out her hand.  
"Yes, I'm Eleanor. Ellie. Bishop." Ellie replied, her shock seeming to make her stammer. "It's really good- nice to meet you. I never thought I would."  
"I never thought I would back here. I guess it's a day of unexpected situations for the both of us today." Ziva replied with a slight smile which she hoped would be taken as comforting. Ellie nodded, blushing slightly at her own nerves. McGee still stood frozen in place.  
"Is he going to stand like that all day?" Torres asked to the others in the area.  
Gibbs walked across to McGee and gave him a quick slap on the back of the head. This snapped McGee to attention.  
"This isn't possible." McGee commented. "Ziva, you... you died."  
"It's a really long story, but I'm so sorry you guys had to believe that." Ziva replied. At that moment, Gibbs' phone rang. He answered it and quickly noted down some information.  
"Grab your gear. We have a bomb threat at Quantico." Gibbs ordered. Ellie, Nick, and McGee grabbed their bags and started to walk towards the elevator. Tony and Ziva went to instinctually follow them before realising that Gibbs wasn't talking to them.  
"We'll catch up when we get back. I have a feeling we'll all need a drink." McGee told Tony and Ziva, some shock still in his voice. They walked back to the cluster and stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do. However, this question was answered for them when Jimmy walked from the other elevator. He seemed like he wanted to inform the team about something, but quickly realised they were gone. However, before he turned back to head back to where he came from he saw Tony and Ziva, and just like McGee, he froze.  
"Hello, Palmer." Tony greeted. "You're looking well."  
Instead of saying anything, Jimmy fell backwards, passing out in shock.

When Jimmy came back to consciousness, Ziva and Tony had moved him to a chair by a vacant desk.  
"Tony? What are you doing here?" Jimmy asked just as he came back to consciousness.  
"Well, I was back in the area and wanted to check in." Tony answered. "Plus, I had some big news to share."  
This was when Jimmy turned his vision and saw Ziva leaning on a desk on the other side of the cluster. Palmer went pale and Tony gripped his shoulder tightly.  
"Don't faint on us again, autopsy gremlin." Tony ordered.  
"She can't be here. I must be hallucinating." Jimmy remarked.  
"You're not. Ziva is actually here." Tony assured Jimmy. "She's been alive this whole time."  
"How is that possible?" Jimmy queried, still perilously pale. "I thought that Tali was the only survivor of the fire."  
"It's a long story." Ziva told Jimmy, stepping across so she was standing next to Tony. The pair proceeded to tell Jimmy the story of what they had been doing over the last few years, just like they had told Gibbs the previous night.  
"So, you went all around the world, and told us nothing?" Jimmy asked.  
"Unfortunately, that was a requirement of our situation." Ziva replied. "Now, is Ducky downstairs?"  
"He should be." Jimmy informed the pair. "We were just finishing up an autopsy for an ongoing case when I came up here."  
"Thank you, Palmer." Tony said to Jimmy. Leaving Jimmy to recover, Ziva and Tony headed downstairs. They caught the British medical examiner as he was leaving the autopsy room, not giving Tony the chance to warm him up.  
"Oh, dear god. It can't be." Ducky said in shock. Tony and Ziva stepped across, reaching out to support Ducky if he needed it.  
"I'm not going to faint." Ducky assured the couple. "This isn't the first time somebody has come back from the dead. It is just a shock, is all."  
Ziva and Tony both lowered their arms, slightly relieved.  
"It is good to see you again, Anthony and especially good to see you, Ziva." Ducky said with a wider smile. "Now, I would love to talk more but I have a meeting with a very insistent literary journalist."  
Ducky smiled and shook hands with both Tony and Ziva before walking past the couple to the elevator.

Later, Tony texted the team members, including Abby, Ducky, and Palmer to meet them at their house. Due to the case at Quantico, the group still working at NCIS were delayed as there were also checks at the Navy Yard, so Abby was the first to arrive. When she knocked on the door, Tony answered and was immediately hugged by the former forensic scientist.  
"Tony! I can't believe you're back!" Abby greeted gleefully. After she let go of Tony, Abby stepped past him into the house, placing a bottle of wine she had brought with her onto a table by the doorway.  
"So, where is she?" Abby asked, looking around. Tony raised an eyebrow in confusion before he realised what Abby might have meant.  
"Tali's upstairs sleeping. I just got her down for the night." Tony told Abby, thinking it was what she meant.  
"I'm not talking about Tali." Abby replied, before pausing for a few moments. "McGee might have texted me."  
"Ah, McGossip told you." Tony remarked.  
"At least McGee's unstoppable honesty hasn't changed." Ziva commented, walking in from the living room area.  
"Oh, I don't know, he's learned how to lie in certain scenarios." Abby remarked, which intrigued both Tony and Ziva.  
"That's not important, though." Abby stated, running forward and hugging Ziva tightly. In turn, Ziva took a step back to balance herself, surprised by Abby's speed.  
"I actually forgot how much of a hugger you were." Ziva remarked to Abby.  
"You won't have to ever again." Abby stated. "We are not letting you go ever again."  
"Well, I will need to breath, Abby." Ziva replied, her voice indicative of Abby squeezing her very tightly. Abby, understanding the subtext, let go of Ziva.  
"Sorry. I guess I just had pent-up emotions and hugs for you." Abby stated. Ziva smirked.  
"Well, we're going to be sticking round for a while." Ziva assured Abby. "You don't need to get them all in now."  
Abby and Ziva chatted for a while longer, though Ziva remained sparse on details of what happened in the last year, wanting to give the full story once everyone else had arrived. Ducky was the first to arrive, and was quickly followed by the Palmers: Jimmy, Breena, and Victoria. Victoria was about the same age as Tali, so was tired. Tony helped Breena take Victoria through to the spare bedroom, whilst Jimmy joined the conversation between Abby and Ziva.  
"You must be very happy to have her back." Breena commented to Tony.  
"Like you won't believe." Tony confirmed. There was some movement from the front door so Breena and Tony walked back to see the McGees at the front door. Between Delilah's wheelchair, and Morgan and John in travel cots, they were struggling to get in so everyone helped out, placing the twins in Ziva and Tony's room.  
"Thanks for the help." McGee told the couple. "Though, Morgan's not going to be asleep long, so I might be up and down all night."  
"I can take care of them too, especially if they're hungry." Delilah insisted. McGee nodded. Hot on the McGees' heels were Ellie and Nick who had ride-shared and apparently gotten slightly lost on the way over to Tony and Ziva's house, hence why they'd arrived after the McGees even with Tim having to go home and pick up the rest of the family. Most people had settled in the lounge when Gibbs finally arrived.  
"Vance asked me to debrief him on the Quantico situation." Gibbs said in succinct explanation. "Plus, I thought it would be good to get some stock. He held up two bottles of whisky. Soon enough, everyone had a drink they enjoyed drinking, the drivers having a soft drink, and the others were looking expectantly at Ziva and Tony.  
"So… what have you been doing over the last couple years?" Abby asked finally. Ziva and Tony looked to each other before starting to tell the story of their mission against the Turncoats. The others in the room listened in rapt attention as Ziva and Tony took turns to narrate different events in their crusade.  
"You really called yourself Danny Ocean?" Tim asked Tony when he recounted the Paris incident.  
"You know me, McJudgy, ever the film buff." Tony commented.  
"I'm just glad the Turncoat wasn't one too." Ziva added, causing the remainder of the group to chuckle. "Otherwise, we'd have been rumbled a lot earlier."  
"He'd probably have assumed I used a codename or something." Tony said in his own defence. Ziva and Tony continued their story.  
"That was quite something." Nick commented after Ziva and Tony finished their story.  
"You could say that again." Ellie added.  
"Honestly, if Ziva wasn't backing up everything you said happened, I'd think you were making it up." Jimmy confessed, and the others agreed.  
"Don't I have a single ounce of credibility?" Tony asked with shock.  
"Well, yes, but you also have a tendency to exaggerate." Ducky remarked.  
"That… that is true." Tony conceded.  
"Anthony DiNozzo, did you just admit you had a fault?" Abby asked, which was met by laugher from nearly everyone in the room. Gibbs was silent through the whole story and reactions, partially because he had heard the story before and also partially because he was happy to see the team, his acquired family, back together. The parents continued to chat, with each of the parents occasionally leaving the room to either check on or care for their individual children. As the parents of the youngest children, the McGee brood was the first to leave, though Ziva invited them back for coffee the following morning. Jimmy and Breena left about half an hour later, the former carefully carrying a still sleeping Victoria and Ducky accompanying them, leaving Abby, Gibbs, Nick, and Ellie still visiting with Ziva and Tony. The latter pair made a quick exit, being less familiar with the pair, though their leaving together was met with knowing smiles from both Gibbs and Abby.  
"Is there something going on between them?" Ziva asked the pair.  
"If there is, I don't want to know." Gibbs replied.  
"There have been rumours." Abby commented. "Though, for the sake of rule 12, I won't comment about whether there's any truth in it."  
"Well, there is rule 5 _and_ rule 51, to be fair." Tony added.  
"Rule 12: Never date a co-worker; rule 5: You never waste good; and rule 51-" Ziva began to recite.  
"Sometimes, you're wrong." Gibbs finished with a wry smile.  
"You can take the agents out of NCIS…" Abby commented, making everyone in the room smile. "You two are back for good, right? You said you were before, but I was worried that was just for my sake. Neither of you would lie in front of Gibbs, so I'll ask you again. Are you back for good?"  
Ziva and Tony looked at each other.  
"We are back for good." Tony assured Abby after a moment.  
"You know, we've been telling you everything about what we've been doing, but what are you doing now, post-NCIS?" Ziva asked Abby.  
"Oh, you know, the usual… Managing a charity, talking to donors, organising fundraising events, and spending more time with my brother. Luca, that is." Abby replied with a smile.  
"Reeves would be proud." Tony commented, and a mournful silence fell over the room, though it faded a moment later. Once the remaining sombreness had faded, the smaller group continued to chat happily, Gibbs taking a more active role in the smaller group as it was like talking to his more immediate family, albeit with one member absent. However, soon enough, both Gibbs and Abby headed home, Abby giving both Tony and Ziva a nearly bone-cracking hug before she left. Ziva and Tony and Ziva started to tidy up the drinks and food that had been eaten over that evening, doing it in silence, though Tony kept looking over to Ziva for some kind of reaction to the events of that evening.  
"If you keep looking at me, Tony, I'll slap you like Gibbs used to." Ziva warned Tony. "What is it?"  
"I was just trying to see if I could tell how you felt about tonight." Tony confessed. Ziva sighed and put the washing up she was doing down.  
"It went a lot better than I predicted it would." Ziva confessed. "Though, I was still very nervous."  
"You did well." Tony replied.  
"Well, I knew you had my six." Ziva commented. "That was all I needed, after the last year."  
"So, we're back in America." Tony commented.  
"The question is: what do we do now?" Ziva queried.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this. Now the family is reunited, but the story is far from over. I was not going to specify this earlier but this story was inspired by misspatchesmom's 'You Complete Me' Universe, all accessible in the NCIS story archive or via the author's profile. Misspatchesmom follows** _ **this**_ **story, so I want to say I enjoyed your stories and they had such an expansive view I couldn't even hope to come close to. To anyone else, I would highly recommend you read it if you're looking for more NCIS family stories. Also, as the first 'section' of the story is complete, I'm going to start something I hope to do regularly (though not every chapter) and reply to a few of your reviews. Those who have reviewed this story will either receive or already have received a PM from me. However, of course this only works for registered members and there have been a few guests who have reviewed, or in this case one guest reviewing a few times (Even that's an understatement, as she's reviewed every chapter so far). Sue Dooley, thank you for your enthusiastic and continued support, and as you sign each of your reviews, Tiva forever. Please feel free to request where you want the story to go next through the regular channels. As ever,**

 **Keep on Reading  
-TheOnlineTypewriter**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Back to Normality (or not)**

" _You called Mossad." Ziva stated in realisation.  
"It seemed like the best option." Tony remarked. "Now, we need to get out of the country."  
"Why? What?" Ziva queried in confusion.  
"The FSB agents you were tortured by have linked you with your work in foreign intelligence, and you're now one of Russia's most wanted." Tony informed Ziva. "Not to mention that they will have informed the other Turncoats across the world."_

" _You'll spend a few weeks under protective custody in Tel Aviv." Orli informed the couple. It took nearly a year and a half for Orli and her allies to smooth over the situation in Russia._

" _So, we're back in America." Tony commented.  
"The question is: what do we do now?" Ziva queried._

2018  
A few weeks passed after Tony and Ziva had reunited with the rest of their NCIS family. As per Ziva's wishes in her I Will list, and the promise that Tony had made himself and Tali, neither went back to active duty at NCIS, for the fear of violence. However, they both agreed that there was nowhere else that they would work quite as well as in the familiar, albeit rather jarring, orange walls of the federal agency. With the assistance of Gibbs and Vance, both found a job that they would be able to excel at and keep in contact with the active members of the MCRT; Tony was employed as a community liaison, contacting and being contacted by police services across the country and forwarding the information to the appropriate people and teams, allowing him to make the most of his contacts and knowledge of how said police forces worked. Meanwhile, Ziva was employed as a translator, an important asset for the service whenever there was any international coordination and cooperation, as well as for intelligence gathering, with Ellie pulling some favours and being able to score Ziva a role as a part-time translator for the NSA. Whilst they did most of their work in the Navy Yard, their particular roles did allow for some of the work to be done at home, so the couple could look after Tali. Tali was fairly healthy, but she was growing up, developing a stubborn attitude similar to both her parents, and most children her age. The first major event for the pair was Tali's fourth birthday in early July. To celebrate, Ziva and Tony had once again organised for all the family to come over, as well as a few other young families they'd gotten to know around the area. In the short time that they had known each other and been able to remember, Tali and Victoria had become good friends, to the point that they were nearly inseparable. The DiNozzo-David family's backyard was full of both parents and children, most of the latter running around on a sugar high. The primary exception was the McGee twins who were being cuddled by Delilah and Ziva. Meanwhile, Tony and Tim were in the kitchen, doing a small bit of cleaning so that the load at the end of the day was smaller.  
"You know, if someone said that we'd be standing here now even four years ago, I don't think either of us would have believed you." Tony told McGee.  
"I don't know. I'd probably think it was quite obvious you end up with Ziva. Though, either of you having kids was certainly unexpected." McGee replied and both adults chuckled.  
"Was it that obvious?" Tony asked honestly.  
"Yes, it was, ever since your mission undercover. I'm pretty sure even Gibbs knew there was something there." Tim replied.  
"Oh, yeah, I remember that, with you as a bus boy." Tony commented, and the pair laughed again. The pair continued to chat, when Tali ran in, Victoria in tow. When she saw her dad, Tali ran away from Victoria and grabbed onto Tony.  
"Abba, Ima says it's time for presents!" Tali insisted. Tony chuckled and allowed Tali to drag him outside so that she could open her presents. As Tali excitedly did so, Tony stood by Ziva who was taking pictures.  
"I'm so glad we could celebrate this with all our family." Tony whispered into Ziva's ear. She smiled and nodded, her hand finding his for a moment. The rest of the day was spent celebrating the young Dinozzo-David's birthday. Later that night, Ziva and Toy were finishing the cleaning and tidying up after the party, whilst Tali was fast asleep in her bedroom, exhausted from the playing and the house littered with her presents, and her favourite, a wooden dog on wheels from 'Grampa Gibbs', on her bedside table.  
"Today was really nice." Ziva commented. "It was so nice to see Tali enjoying herself."  
"She's adapted really well to life in America." Tony added. "You enjoyed yourself too from the looks of it."  
"I had my worries about being back." Ziva admitted. "But, I never intended on the old team being so welcoming."  
"I know." Tony assured Ziva, wrapping his arm around her and kissing her on the side of the head. The couple continued to work quietly. As they did, Ziva looked over to Tony, unspoken thoughts speeding through her head. For a few weeks after Tali's birthday, nothing major happened and life was some semblance of regular. However, one day, the couple's life was flipped on its axis.

The day was much like usual as it began. Tony was working from home, and Ziva was going to the Navy Yard, as there was a representative from the Saudi Arabian Navy coming to talk to SecNav about joint missions, so the agency required an Arabic interpreter, and Ziva was by far the most fluent available at short notice. However, the discussions with Saudi Arabia did cause controversy, evidenced by a crowd of protestors forming a short distance from the entrance to the Navy Yard. The protesters, whilst angry, seemed non-violent, so no major action was taken against them. Everything seemed normal, the meeting taking place in MTAC with representatives from Capitol Hill and the UN joining via video conference, and Gibbs' team spending the day finishing off paperwork from their latest case. Everything was normal when a man walked in dressed in a suit. At first, he seemed like a normal NCIS agent, but he drew his firearm and fired it into the ceiling, causing yells from around the room. Every agent drew their firearms, but then a few around the room turned on the other agents.  
"All of you, put your weapons on the ground." The leader ordered. Wary that the infiltrators had the upper hand, the NCIS agents did as they had been ordered. In MTAC, the group, consisting of SecNav, Vance, Gibbs, and the four Saudi delegates, heard the gunshots and within moments, the room's security protocols kicked in, the doors locking and mobile signal jammers activating. Everyone in MTAC began to panic slightly, though the Americans attempted to keep a calm demeanour. Ziva tried to calm the Saudi delegates, who were making accusations of lax security or intentionally causing the security incident. More gunfire from outside MTAC caused the delegation to go silent. Whilst they talked in hushed voices between themselves, Ziva walked across to Gibbs.  
"What are we going to do?" Ziva asked the elder agent, who frowned and shook his head.  
"It's out of our hands. We just need to keep ourselves and our guests calm." Gibbs advised Ziva. Ziva nodded then turned back to the rest of MTAC, worst case scenarios playing out in the forefront of her mind.

Meanwhile, Tony was finishing up some paperwork at home when his phone rang. He looked and saw it was Delilah calling. He answered the phone and barely had time to think of a greeting before Delilah started talking quickly.  
"Tony, turn on the news!" Delilah instructed urgently.  
"What's going on, Delilah?" Tony queried worriedly.  
"Just do it. Any network." Delilah insisted. Walking through to his and Ziva's shared bedroom, the sitting room's TV currently being used by Tali, and tuned into a news channel, nearly dropping the phone and remote as he saw the news story. The lower third read 'Hostage Situation at Navy Yard'. A serious looking reporter was standing in front of the Navy Yard's security gate, with soldiers and police bustling behind them.  
"It is currently unknown how many hostages are being held, and what the motives of the hostage takers are." The reporter stated. "All we know is that, with no word from the hostage takers or authorities, this situation is not ending any time soon."  
"I'll get there as soon as I can." Tony told Delilah before ending the call. He ran next door, getting the neighbours to look after Tali. Once he had organised a childminder, Tony drove to the Navy Yard, making a stop at the McGee's house to pick up Delilah. When they reached the Navy Yard, it was still bustling with activity. Tony and Delilah were stopped by a marine.  
"The site is in lockdown." The marine stated. Agent Valeri Page walked over to the checkpoint.  
"Let them through, Smith." Agent Page ordered. "They'll be able to help."  
The marine stepped out of Tony's and Delilah's way. Tony and Delilah moved over to Agent Page.  
"What can we do to help?" Delilah asked Agent Page.

Back in the NCIS building, Tim was downstairs in what used to be Abby's lab when there were the gunshots upstairs. Thankfully, the lab was empty at that point, so he had nobody present to worry about. He snuck out of the lab, wary that somebody might want to get evidence from the lab. He quickly slid into a broom closet when he heard movement down the stairs.  
"We need to clear this floor. She's somewhere in the building." One of the gunmen walking along the corridor commented.  
 _They're looking for someone._ Tim thought to himself, and his mind came up with two possibilities as to who the 'she' the gunmen were referring to was, and neither was particularly appealing to him. Once he was sure the gunmen had passed him, he slipped out of the broom closet and back down the corridor, formulating a plan as he snuck towards the stairs. He knew that Ellie and Torres would be in the main area, unless the gunmen had moved hostages.

In MTAC, the Saudi delegates were still talking in hushed tones. SecNav, Vance, and Gibbs were discussing what needed to happen if and when the doors were opened and the multiple circumstances that the doors might be opened under. Ziva, not wanting to intrude on the conversation had sat away from the two groups, trying to calmly evaluate what seemed to be happening, and worrying about Tony. She knew that as soon as heard anything about the incident, he would be in the Navy Yard at a moment's notice. She worried about this putting him in the line of fire, and the dangers it could cause not just for him, but for Tali as well if the gunmen were able to breach the secure room. Ziva heard shouting outside, and it sounded like someone was struggling. Suddenly, there was a crack of a gunshot. There was the sound of movement, and the sound of the eye scanner. However, there was a beep a few seconds later, indicating they were unsuccessful in trying to access MTAC, which was also evidenced by the following loud cussing from the other side of the door.  
"They can't get in until the lockdown is deactivated." Vance explained to Ziva and the Saudi delegation. "Only I or a REACT agent is able to stop the lockdown procedures."  
"REACT is probably outside by now and making a plan of how to deal with it." Ziva assured the room and herself.

REACT was indeed outside and planning. However, they weren't able to make a fully formed plan without an idea of the numbers they were facing against. Suddenly, there was a sign from the building. One of the marines ran to the tent that had been set up to run the raid from and were Agent Page was finishing off her briefing with Tony and Delilah.  
"Ma'am, we have a light from a window." The marine informed Agent Page, and therefore the rest of the tent. "Someone seems to be signalling us."  
Agent Page, Tony, and Delilah all looked at each other before quickly moving outside to watch the signal.

Whilst Agent Page had been briefing Tony and Delilah, Tim had been sneaking through the NCIS building until he reached the edge of the main office. Gunmen were patrolling the area, whilst their hostages were all sat on the floor, most cuffed to desks or radiator. With the constant patrols, Tim couldn't get any closer but licked eyes with Bishop and Torres, who had both been handcuffed to the latter's desk. All three tried to formulate some way of getting the two handcuffed agents free and over to Tim. However, all their plans required a distraction. The gunmen ended up creating the needed distraction when they dragged one of the senior agents from their desk. There was shouting from multiple agents, but the gunmen wouldn't listen. The agent was dragged up to MTAC. Whilst the gunmen in the main area were focussed on the struggle going up to MTAC, Nick finished picking the lock on his handcuffs, meaning it was only attached to Ellie's wrist, essentially freeing them both. The struggle continued long enough for the pair to crawl quickly along the floor until they were next to Tim.  
"We need to get out of here." Ellie stated in a whisper.  
"They're probably covering the entrances and exits." Nick replied.  
"Then, we need to get word out to the outside world." Tim commented quietly. "REACT should have shown up by now."  
Ellie and Nick both nodded in agreement. The trio snuck back down the corridor. They were able to make it down the stairs and into the forensics lab. Through the basement window, they could see movement on the edge of the Navy Yard, including military vehicles showing that there had Tim's predictions were correct. The trio searched around the lab, and Ellie found a torch.  
"I have an idea." She informed the others. "Would Agent Page know Morse Code?"  
The trio wrote out a message and translated it into Morse Code. Once this was done, they transmitted the message to the barricade outside.

Agent Page, Delilah, and Tony joined the soldiers outside watching the signal. They immediately spotted a pattern.  
"It's Morse Code." Tony deduced.  
"We can see that." Delilah retorted. "Do you know what it's saying?"  
"No…" Tony admitted. "Codes tended to be Tim's thing. Or Ellie's."  
"Well, it's a good thing I do." Agent Page remarked, glaring at the other two adults for a moment, before turning to another REACT agent. "Get me some paper."  
It only took Agent Page a few moments to decode the message: '20 Hostiles. Trying to get into MTAC. Entrances guarded and most in MCRT office.'  
With the information on numbers and distribution of the gunmen, the REACT team were able to complete their plan and they began to put it into action. Snipers took up positions across from the NCIS building and neutralised the guards at the front door after they were drawn outside by some stones being thrown and making noises. The REACT movements slowly started to move through the building. Meanwhile, another team went via the evidence garage. They were able to sneak through and got to the main office, cutting off all exits for the gunmen. They were able to neutralise the remaining gunmen.

In MTAC, Ziva held her breath as there were shouts from the main area. Some shouted in fear when there was gunfire from outside the room. There was movement towards the MTAC door and the sound of scanning. When the door clicked open, Ziva and Gibbs both drew their guns. However, they lowered it when agent Page walked in alongside a few other REACT agents.  
"The situation has been neutralised. Everything is safe." Agent Page informed the people in the room, and Ziva translated this information for the Saudi delegates, who were then escorted out of MTAC and out of the NCIS building. As she left the room, Ziva saw that the NCIS agents had all been freed, and that the gunmen were either handcuffed and being lead out or being wheeled out on a gurney. Ziva saw the team around their desks. Ellie, Nick, and Tim were standing talking to some other NCIS agents and looked over as Ziva and Gibbs walked over to them. Before anyone could say anything though, the elevator pinged and opened with Tony and Delilah inside. The two couples quickly moved to each other, hugging and reassuring each other that they were alright.  
"Ziva, there's something we need to tell you." Ellie commented after Ziva and Tony had reunited.  
"What is it?" Ziva asked with concern.  
"They were looking for you. I don't know why." Ellie informed the group, having overheard some of the gunmen discussing their reasoning for the attack. The team all looked at Ziva in silence.

A while later, Ziva and Tony arrived home and picked up Tali from the neighbours. Ziva had put Tali to bed and walked back to the lounge.  
"Today was quite something." Ziva stated to Tony.  
"You could say that again." Tony replied with a sigh. "It was bit of a wakeup call. Even though we're not full agents, our lives are inherently dangerous. Today made me realise there's some things I should have done already and should do before it's too late."  
"What do you mean?" Ziva asked, turning away for a moment to pick up the book she had been reading over the last few evenings. When she turned back though, she nearly dropped the book as she turned back. In front of her, Tony had knelt on one knee and taken a small box from somewhere.  
"I should have done this in Israel four years and 10 months ago. I was waiting for the right moment to ask, but today showed that the right moment might not come before it's too late." Tony stated before taking a deep breath and opening the box, revealing a beautiful ring. "Ziva David, will you marry me?"  
Ziva looked at Tony in shocked silence for a moment, before it faded, and joy replaced it.  
"Yes, Tony, I will marry you." Ziva answered, tearing up slightly and nodding. Tony let out a relieved sigh and stood, stepping forward and kissing Ziva who kissed him back with the same joy and love.  
" _Ani ohev otach._ " Tony said after they separated and as he slid the engagement ring onto Ziva's finger.  
" _Ani ohevet otkha._ " Ziva replied with a smile before kissing Tony again. The pair held each other close for the rest of the night.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is by far the longest chapter in my story so far. I know there's been a lot of action in the last few chapters and not many family moments, but I promise there will be more of that over the rest of the story, but I would say it wouldn't be NCIS without action. I did also want to end this chapter on a happier note. As I have said before, I am happy to take any requests via PM or review.**

 **Keep on Reading  
-TheOnlineTypewriter**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Life Goes On**

" _You'll spend a few weeks under protective custody in Tel Aviv." Orli informed the couple. It took nearly a year and a half for Orli and her allies to smooth over the situation in Russia._

 _Tony was employed as a community liaison, contacting and being contacted by police services across the country and forwarding the information to the appropriate people and teams, allowing him to make the most of his contacts and knowledge of how said police forces worked. Meanwhile, Ziva was employed as a translator, an important asset for the service whenever there was any international coordination and cooperation_

" _Ziva David, will you marry me?" Tony asked.  
Ziva looked at Tony in shocked silence for a moment, before it faded, and joy replaced it.  
"Yes, Tony, I will marry you." Ziva answered_

America, 2018  
The following day, both Tony and Ziva were working from home. However, they had called their work family to meet for dinner that night, as well as meeting the McGee brood for lunch. The family spent the majority of the day together. At one point, they were sat in the lounge with Tony finishing up some emails to the San Diego Police Department about establishing contact with a new precinct, and Tali was sat on Ziva's lap, the latter reading her a story. However, Tali was more interested in the new ring on her mother's finger.  
"Ima, what's this?" Tali asked, gripping onto the ring.  
"It as a gift from Abba." Ziva commented with a smile. "He gave it to me yesterday."  
"Why?" Tali asked.  
"He gave it to me to show he loved me." Ziva told Tali. "It's a special present between Imas and Abbas."  
Tali smiled and nodded. Half an hour later, Ziva, Tony, and Tali drove to the restaurant they were having lunch with the McGees, meeting them at the restaurant entrance. After they greeted each other, Delilah smiled.  
"Congratulations, you two." Delilah commented.  
"What do you mean, congratulations?" The other three adults asked in chorus.  
"You're engaged." Delilah stated, pointing at Ziva's finger. "It _is_ my job to notice what others don't." Ziva smirked and lifted her hand, showing off the engagement ring.  
"Congratulations!" Tim remarked, now understanding the situation. Ziva and Tony hugged their close friends, and siblings in all but blood. They then headed into the restaurant and ate and chatting about the last few days. Before the two couples went their separate ways, Tim and Delilah gave Ziva and Tony the details of some of the providers they had had for their ceremony for the larger family, after they had properly gotten married in their apartment with their non-biological family, such as a caterer. That particular discussion reminded Tony and Ziva of when they had heard of the McGee's wedding.

Tel Aviv, 2017  
It was 7am in Israel when Tony's phone started ringing. The night before had been late, so Ziva and Tony had allowed themselves a lie-in to 9, three-year-old Tali permitting. Tony hadn't been sleeping particularly well that night, due to a mixture of the desert heat, and Ziva's snoring, so he stood and looked at the phone, seeing it was McGee calling. He stepped out into the hallway and answered the phone.  
"What's happening, McMidnight?" Tony asked, doing the calculation to what time it would be in the US.  
"Delilah and I did it, Tony!" Tim informed him sounding gleeful about whatever 'it' was.  
"Did what?" Tony asked, confused for a moment.  
"We got married. We had a ceremony at home." Tim informed Tony and Tony smiled.  
"Well done, McHusband. Give my best to the new Mrs McGee." Tony replied.  
"Actually, there was something else." Tim added, and Tony raised his eyebrow.  
"And what is that, Tim?" Tony asked, tiredness unintentionally fading into his voice.  
"Delilah is expecting." Tim blurted.  
"Well, all the more congratulations, McDad." Tony replied. "Now, go back to your wife."  
Tony had slightly said this because of concern for McGee's marriage, and partly because Ziva had come out of their shared room and wrapped her arms around Tony. Tony and Tim said their goodbyes then they hanged up. Ziva looked at Tony with curiosity and Tony relayed what Tim had told him. Ziva smiled as well, happy for the pair's 'brother'.

America, 2018  
Later that evening, all the NCIS family was at Ziva's and Tony's house. They were all sat around the dining table, chatting quietly when Ziva tapped on her glass and the group fell silent. Ziva stood.  
"Now, you can probably gather that we've called you here because we have news." Ziva remarked. "Tony and I are engaged."  
There was the stereotypical shocked silence for a few seconds.  
"That is fantastic news!" Abby declared, standing and running around the table to hug both Ziva and Tony. "I'm so happy for you!"  
"It's actually quite appropriate to say 'Mazel Tov'." Ducky commented.  
"Well done, DiNozzo, Ziver." Gibbs added with a smile. "I knew it was only a matter of time."  
The rest of the team congratulated the newly engaged couple, and Abby bombarded Ziva and Tony with questions about whether they'd made any arrangements, and what arrangements they had already made, and was slightly disappointed that they hadn't made any arrangements.  
"Well, we only got engaged yesterday." Tony offered in the couple's defence. The rest of the evening was spent chatting and enjoying time with the family.

A few more weeks passed without incident. The couple made some arrangements for the wedding, deciding a ballpark date, and setting some criteria for the location. However, the next major event to come up was the second anniversary of Ziva and Tony finding each other again in Paris. They didn't make that big a deal about it, just celebrating within their family. They went to the local zoo with Tali, and also took their daughter out for a meal at the family's favourite restaurant. Later that night, Ziva and Tony were sat in their shared bedroom. Ziva looked over to Tony and tapped his shoulder  
"I have a present for you." Ziva told Tony with a smile. Tony looked back at his fiancé with intrigue. Ziva got a small box from her bedside table.  
"I have a small request though ahead of you opening it." Ziva added.  
"Yeah? What is it?" Tony asked.  
"I know we decided that we wanted a wedding in spring," Ziva commented. "But there's now a slight time limit on when we can."  
"A time limit?" Tony asked with concern. "How long are we talking?"  
"About 9 months." Ziva remarked, and Tony's eyes widened in realisation. He opened the box and it confirmed his suspicions as inside was a pregnancy test with a positive result.  
"We're having another baby?" Tony asked Ziva, eyes wide with shock. Ziva nodded and Tony leant forward to kiss her, Ziva happily reciprocating the kiss.  
"How long have you known? How far along are you?" Tony asked in a flurry once the shock had worn off.  
"I've had an idea since about two weeks ago, and I took the test yesterday." Ziva informed Tony with a small smile. "I'd say I was five weeks along."  
"Ah, the night we got engaged." Tony said in realisation and Ziva nodded.  
"That's the only night that we slept together without protection." Ziva stated. "We can't tell the others yet, though, until we check with a doctor. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up too much."  
Tony nodded.  
"We can do this however you want to do it." Tony told Ziva. "I just want to be here for you, through everything that I couldn't help with when you were expecting Tali. Like I've said before: _Aht lo leh-vad_ , you are not alone. You don't have to be this time around."  
Ziva smiled and teared up. She hugged her partner close, pressing her face into his shoulder.  
"I didn't know how much I wanted you to say those words." Ziva confessed.

So, the couple started to speed up their plans, which did increase the stress on both of them. However, Tali and the couple's NCIS family helped them keep their sanity. When Ziva began to show, Tali noticed the change in her mother.  
"Abba, why is Ima's sick? Why is her belly getting bigger?" Tali asked Tony one day as she drove her back from nursery one day. Ziva was also in the car, both her and Tony having spent most of the day at the Navy Yard. They looked to each other and smiled.  
"Well, Tali, Ima's belly is getting bigger and she's been a bit sick, so she has room for a baby in her tummy." Tony informed Tali. "And, after a few months of having the baby in her tummy, we'll be able to bring the baby home with us. You're going to be an older sister."  
In the rear-view mirror, Tony could see Tali smile in joy.  
"Ima's really got a baby in her tummy?" Tali queried.  
"Yes, I do." Ziva said with a smile. When they got home, Tali cuddled close to Ziva every chance she got for the rest of the night, pressing her ear to Ziva's slight baby bump, trying to hear the baby.

2019  
A couple more months passed and Ziva and Tony were in the pregnancy centre, waiting on a very important appointment. Ziva was able to maintain a calm air, but Tony was tapping his leg nervously.  
"It's going to be fine, Tony." Ziva assured her fiancé.  
"I know. I guess it's just a big deal." Tony replied. "I haven't been through this before."  
Ziva nodded in understanding and placed her hand over his, and Tony calmed slightly. The technician called them in to the medical room.  
"So, it's the big day." The technician commented to the expecting couple.  
"Yes, it is." Ziva replied as she settled herself on the examination chair and raised her shirt showing her five-months bump.  
"So, we're going to take some measurements first before we see whether we can tell what sex your little one is." The technician informed Tony and Ziva. Both nodded and the technician began the procedure of the ultrasound, rubbing the gel onto Ziva's bump. She tensed momentarily at the cold of the gel but tried to relax. The technician took the necessary measurements before smiling.  
"Your baby is showing what we need to see." The technician informed the couple, before turning the screen to them. Neither Ziva or Tony were able to determine what the technician was meaning.  
"So, is it a boy or girl?" Tony asked.  
"Well, by the absence of obvious male genitalia, and that the caudal notch here, at the tailbone, is pointing downwards," The technician informed the couple whilst pointing at the screen at the baby's back. "I can say with a 98% level of confidence that you're going to be having a girl."  
"What would give you that last 2%?" Ziva queried.  
"It would just be seeing the shape of the female genitalia." The technician explained. "Though, it's probably an even smaller percentage."  
The pair nodded, and the technician finished off the ultrasound, printing off pictures of the ultrasound for the expectant couple. When they got home, Tali was over the moon to find out she would have a younger sister.

As hard as they tried, life got in the way of Ziva and Tony's plans. The couple couldn't find any venues that fit their criteria for the wedding, and that were available before Ziva's due date. So, the pair found a compromise. When Ziva was at 6 and a half months pregnant, they invited all their family to Anacostia Park. When they got there, they were met by Tony and Ziva, all dressed in their 'Sunday best', Ziva choosing a flowing white dress. The pair had dressed Tali in her smartest dress as well. It only took them a few moments to figure out what the couple were planning to do.  
"We know it's not what we said we were going to have," Ziva told their family. "But we'll have a proper party once the little one arrives. But, if you guys are willing to, we'd like to get married here and now."  
There were multiple statements of approval, and they organised the ceremony. Tim was Tony's best man, Abby was Ziva's maid of honour, Gibbs took the responsibility of father of the bride, and of course Jimmy officiated. The ceremony went smoothly, with Jimmy even having researched aspects of a Jewish wedding on the spot to incorporate into the wedding, namely the Sheva B'rachot and the breaking of a glass at the end of the ceremony.  
"By the power invested in me by the Interfaith Inspiration Church, I now proclaim you husband and wife." Jimmy declared at the end of the ceremony. "You should smooch."  
Everyone chuckled, both from finding it funny and from the memory of his similar conclusion to the McGees' wedding. Ziva and Tony smiled at Jimmy before looking to each other and kissing, all the congregated family members applauding in response.

Then, a month later, a month and a half early, Ziva began having contractions around midday. She and Tony were having an increasingly rare day where they both worked from home, both wanting to build up the office hours to have plenty of holiday hours when the baby arrived, when Ziva got a pain in her abdomen. She began to worry, though the pain did fade a few seconds later. A minute later, the same happened. This repetitive action, accompanied by Ziva feeling a trickle of fluid from her leg, caused Ziva to realise what was going on and she shouted for her partner. Tony drove her quickly to the hospital, and at 9pm that night, after 9 hours of labour, the newest member of the DiNozzo-David family came into the world, dangerously small and therefore slightly weak but otherwise healthy. The couple were still midway through narrowing down the names but agreed on one when they saw their new-born daughter. And so, when the family showed up to the room where Ziva was resting alongside her baby, they met Caitlin Rivka Elisa Dinozzo-David, the two middle names being for each of the parents' mothers, and Caitlin as a memorial to a fallen friend who would have been a loving part of the family. Each of the family members who had known the original Kate smiled with a mixture of sadness and happiness when they were told the name.  
"It is quite a name to live up to." Abby commented. "Though, I'm sure that she will with her parents and family."  
Ziva and Tony both smiled. A few of the family members took pictures of the couple with the baby, as well as pictures of the other family members holding the new-born. Everyone especially liked the photo of Gibbs with the baby, or Ducky with the baby, both looking as happy as they were biologically the new-born's grandparents. Whilst the baby was mostly healthy, the doctors still put her into an incubator to ensure she remained healthy, and also kept Ziva in for a few days to make sure her health was still fine after the premature birth, and Ziva also stayed in the hospital until she could come home with Caitlin. The following day, Tony brought Tali with him so that the four-year-old could meet her little sister. Tali was very happy to see the baby, though she did comment that the baby was very pink and small, and queried why she had to be kept in a glass box. Three weeks later, once the doctors had cleared her as healthy enough, Tony and Ziva were able to bring baby Caitlin home. In the weeks, Tony had worked quickly to try and get the house baby-proofed, the original plan being to have done so in the month leading up to the last fortnight of Ziva's pregnancy. Life went on with the pair taking another month off work to care for their new addition. For the rest of the family, there were also several milestones: Morgan and John both took their first steps within days of each other and were talking very soon after; seeing the relationships between their colleagues, Nick and Emily decided to bite the bullet and got together, though everyone tried their hardest to keep this information from Gibbs, in fear of more than just a headslap. In addition, Ducky left NCIS for good, taking on a full-time role as a teacher at the New York medical school he helped with on sabbatical, with Jimmy taking his place as the full-time Medical Examiner for the service. Life went on, and gained some semblance of normality, though it was definitely a different sort of normality to when they were special agents. They had the larger party for the few family and friends from further afield, where the family at the original ceremony were also able to get the 'newlywed' couple their presents. The presents ranged from clothes for their little one and Tali, as well as a few of the more traditional wedding gifts, like appliances and crockery for their new home. That night, Ziva and Tony sat in the backyard of their house and facing each other with love. No words needed to be said, and they were happy to have a brief moment of silence, though it was only a moment as Caitlin called out for her parents from inside and they went to see what the baby wanted, enjoying that they were together as family, and that for now at least, that wasn't going to change.

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a bit more docile, or a least there was less action but there was still a few milestones (obviously). Please feel free to request what you want to see in the next few chapters. I will definitely have more Tiva family moments, and try to include more Tali, especially considering the possible interactions between her and her new sister. I do understand that without the original Kate being shot by Ari, Ziva and Tony would have never met, but I still feel that they'd think it was appropriate to name their daughter after her.**

 **Keep on Reading  
-TheOnlineTypewriter**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Midnight Moments**

" _By the power invested in me by the Interfaith Inspiration Church, I now proclaim you husband and wife." Jimmy declared at the end of the ceremony. "You should smooch."_

 _9pm that night, after 9 hours of labour, the newest member of the DiNozzo-David family came into the world, dangerously small and therefore slightly weak but otherwise healthy. The couple were still midway through narrowing down the names but agreed on one when they saw their new-born daughter. And so, when the family showed up to the room where Ziva was resting alongside her baby, they met Caitlin Rivka Elisa Dinozzo-David. Tali was very happy to see the baby._

 **~ DiNozzo-David ~**

America, 2019  
It was midnight in the DiNozzo-David family's house. They had spent the entire day working, Tony in the Navy Yard and with Ziva taking the shortest possible breaks to care for Katie, knowing she had some tight deadlines. Most of the family were resting, Tali in her own bedroom, and the baby in her nursery. However, both Ziva and Tony were woken up when there was some crying from the baby's room. However, as they got up, Katie's crying faded. Ziva and Tony looked to each other with confusion as they got up and walked through the house, Ziva taking one of her knives from her bedside table. As they stepped through the house, they started to hear noise from the nursery, making the couples' confusion worse, and Tali's door being open made the pair worry. However, when they got to the doorway of the nursery, the shock and the confusion both evaporated. They saw their elder daughter standing beside the crib. Tali seemed fully awake, and Katie was looking at her sister with wide eyes, though seemed to be slowly falling asleep. Ziva and Tony smiled as they realised what Tali was doing. Only four years old, Tali was standing as a guardian over her younger sister and was singing her a lullaby. Thankfully, the parents had been silent and hadn't been noticed by either of their daughters. They stood in the doorway and watched and listened to Tali's singing. Her voice was clearly that of a child, but the way she was singing the song was perfect to put Katie back to sleep. The lullaby struck a chord (no pun intended) with Ziva, as it was one of the main lullabies she sang to Tali, both her sister and her daughter. The particular scene brought back a clear memory of the former to Ziva.

Israel, 1987  
It was a late night at the David's house, and Tali, the youngest was crying. She was barely over 6 months old, but with Eli on another mission for Mossad, Rivka had left home to visit with some of her friends in the area, leaving the house mostly empty, bar Tali and her five-year-old sister Ziva. Knowing that she was alone to deal with the crying child, Ziva got up and tentatively walked through to her parents' room where Tali's cot stood next to her parents' bed. She nervously looked over the cot, but when she saw her sister, she was hit by a sense of duty. Ziva used the techniques that she had seen her mother use to determine why her baby sister was crying, though just the action of being held quietened Tali slightly. Once she had figured out what was causing the baby to cry, Ziva laid Tali back down in her cot, and began to walk out before realising that Tali was not falling asleep, and that as she walked away, Tali began to whimper again, so Ziva stepped back to the side of the cot. She tried to think of how to get Tali to sleep and came up with an idea.  
"Numi, numi, yaldati, numi, numi, nim." Ziva began to sing. "numi, numi, ketannati, numi, numi, nim."  
Ziva continued to sing the Hebrew lullaby until Tali fell asleep then slowly snuck out of the room, only to be met by her mother, Rivka David, standing in the hallway.  
"You did well, Zivaleh." Rivka told her daughter with a slight smile, though she almost seemed saddened by what happened

America, 2019  
32 years later, Ziva smiled as Tali sang the same lullaby to her own younger sister. She had also realised that her mother's sadness was not due to what Ziva did, but rather that Ziva had to do it, rather than her mother being able to. It had been the first that Ziva thought of when her firstborn was having a sleepless night. Soon enough, Tali had succeeded in her task. Not wanting to cause any issue, Tony and Ziva snuck away from the door before Tali started to leave the room, making sure they were out of Tali's way and sight.  
"We've got quite the daughter." Tony commented.  
"She gets it from her mother." Ziva replied with a reminiscent smile. Tony said nothing, and just smiled at his wife, stealing a quick kiss before they went back to bed, though silently noticing the usual expression Ziva had when remembering the better parts of her childhood.

 **~ McGee ~**

2019  
Delilah was sitting in the lounge of the McGee's apartment, waiting on her husband as John and Morgan slept in their bedroom on the other side of the apartment. The front door of their home clicked open then closed as Tim arrived home, having been staying late at the Navy Yard, both to finish work and to check in with Bishop and Torres who had been finishing up on a stakeout. He walked into the lounge and kissed Delilah quickly.  
"Sorry I'm so late." Tim apologised. Delilah shook her head.  
"We knew it would be a possibility when we got together." Delilah assured Tim. "There's been a few nights when I have been later home than you are now."  
Tim nodded and sat beside his wife. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes.  
"It's been a long day. Can we do the 'download dinner' over breakfast?" Tim asked, and Delilah nodded. The pair fell silent again, when suddenly there was a clatter from elsewhere in the apartment. Delilah and Tim looked to each other with concern, only to have the confirmed to some point when there was the sound of crying and Johnny's voice called out.  
"MAMA!" Johnny cried out. Acting on reflex and panic, Tim was at the twins' bedroom door in seconds, Delilah shortly behind. The two parents entered to find both of their toddlers awake, Morgan in Johnny's bed, and Johnny on the floor. The twins had moved from cots into proper, though child-sized, beds a few months prior. However, they were both incredibly close to each other and so often slept in the same bed.  
"What happened?" Delilah asked the two toddlers.  
"I fell out." Johnny replied, through tears. "I was trying to roll away from Morgan and fell out of bed."  
Morgan and Johnny looked to each other and smiled nostalgically for a moment before Tim stepped towards Johnny and picked him up, before laying him down on Morgan's bed. Delilah and Tim placed themselves in between the two beds, spanning the short distance between them and each took a hand of one of their children.  
"Now, you two are getting bigger, so it's going to be difficult for you to share your bed, and it's only going to get more difficult as time goes on." Tim told Morgan and Johnny.  
"But, daddy, I don't want to get bigger." Morgan pleaded.  
"I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about it." Delilah stated, almost sounding sombre. "You can still be close, but you just need to be careful."  
Both Morgan and Johnny nodded. Delilah and Tim exited their children's room and headed to their own bedroom.  
"Our twins are growing up fast." Delilah commented to Tim, who nodded in reply.  
"I can still remember the first night we brought them home." Tim replied with a slightly sad smile.

2017  
The McGees entered their apartment, both parents visibly tired. Both parents had a travel cot, Morgan being carried by Tim, and Johnny in Delilah's lap. The twins were napping for a short moment, so Tim and Delilah took them through to the nursery they had set up for the pair. They lay them down in their separate cots and left the room. However, just as they left, one of the twins woke up and started to cry, shortly followed by the other. Delilah and Tim looked to each other for a moment before stepping back into the room. They found their twins awake, each looking towards the other and reaching out through the gaps in the cot's bars. The two parents slid down the bars of the cots and picked up their children. The act of picking them up made Johnny and Morgan quieten slightly, though there was a greater effect the closer they were together. Looking to each other, Tim and Delilah silently came up with a solution and put both of the twins into the same cot, and the pair were silent and cuddled together. Once the twins had fallen asleep Tim and Delilah stayed by their side for a while longer.

2019  
The two McGee parents were still and silent in their room for a few moments.  
"They're going to be Tali's age and older before we realise it, Tim." Delilah finally commented, and Tim sighed.  
"I know." He replied. "We just need to cherish the moments we have with them."  
The pair fell into silence again and got ready for bed. They both put the thought to the back of their head and tried to keep it there as they fell asleep.

 **~ Bishop / Torres ~**

2019  
Nick and Ellie drove back to Nick's apartment at nearly 1 o'clock in the morning. The stakeout had tired them both out, but they had gotten the information they needed, and so had headed back to the Navy Yard to complete the necessary paperwork and inform those who needed to know it. Once this had been done, they were exhausted and so drove home together. They spent the car ride with Nick driving, and Ellie napping in the passenger seat. They arrived back at the agent's apartment about 20 minutes after leaving the Navy Yard. Once inside the apartment, both crashed onto the couch. They stayed silent and rested for a couple minutes, before Ellie stood and began to walk towards the apartment's kitchen.  
"Do you have any food in?" Ellie asked.  
"Why does that question not surprise me?" Nick replied. "I don't know, but you can check."  
Ellie smiled and walked over to the kitchen, coming back a few moments later with a large bag of cheese puffs.  
"This seems like the perfect post-stakeout snack." Ellie commented, sitting back beside Nick and cuddling close to her partner and boyfriend. She started to eat out of the bag whilst Nick rested. The pair were silent for a few minutes then Ellie looked up at Nick.  
"Do you ever think about family?" Ellie asked Nick.  
"What do you mean?" Nick queried in reply.  
"Well, I found out earlier that George is having a kid with his girlfriend." Ellie remarked. "And, it got me thinking about my own future. With my brother; McGee, Delilah, and the twins; Tony, Ziva, Tali, and Katie; even Jimmy, Breena, and Victoria… It just made me wonder whether I'd have anything like that. The world seems to be telling me that I won't… Jake cheated, then Qasim was killed…"  
Ellie trailed off, but Nick got the point. Her expression saddened slightly, so Nick held her closer and tighter, trying to make sure she felt warm and loved.  
"Well, I'm tougher than most people." Nick assured Ellie. "You're not going to get rid of me too easy."  
Ellie smiled up at Nick before going back to snacking. There were a few moments of silence as the pair both thought about what Ellie had just said.  
"If you were thinking about family, though," Nick commented. "I always found something lovely about my sister's family, but I never thought I would have the same thing, with my work. But, I'd be willing to put those fears aside, seeing as you are in the same job as I am."  
Ellie looked into Nick's eyes with a mixture of shock and affection.  
"You mean that?" Ellie asked, her tone of voice matching her expression. "You would be willing to have a family with me?"  
"Well, if you listened to any of the other team members, apparently we're already a family." Nick responded. "So, it would be less making one than adding new members to the family we already have."  
Ellie smiled and the two cuddled closer together, Nick pressing a kiss into his partner's hair.  
"If we go through with this though, we're going to have to tell Gibbs about us." Nick commented, making Ellie chuckle.  
"You're scared of how he'll react?" Ellie asked with a smirk.  
"You aren't?" Nick asked in reply. "We'd be breaking one of Gibbs' rules."  
"Well, I like to think some of Gibbs' rules are made to be broken." Ellie replied. "I mean, Ziva and Tony did the same."  
Nick sighed.  
"Fine, but it's on your head." Nick remarked. "You've been a part of team Gibbs for longer."  
Ellie smiled.  
"I wouldn't have it any other way." She replied, sarcastically rolling her eyes. Nick shook his head and chuckled, leaning down and giving Ellie a chaste kiss on the lips. The pair continued to cuddle together, both drifting off to sleep on the couch.

 **~ Gibbs and Ducky ~**

2019  
Gibbs was sat in the Navy Yard about half an hour after the last of his team had left. He finished off the paperwork, and checked his watch, seeing that he had to head out for a meeting. He grabbed his jacket and headed out of the building, driving to a nearby bar and pub. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw who he had come to see, and vice versa.  
"Ah, Jethro, you made it." Ducky remarked to Gibbs standing from his seat and walking over to the senior NCIS agent.  
"Duck, of course I wouldn't miss a chance to catch up with you." Gibbs replied. "I'm sorry that if you've waited long."  
"It's all part of the job." Ducky replied. "I knew you'd show up eventually."  
The pair walked across to the bar and both ordered a drink. They made some small talk.  
"How are Anthony and Ziva doing with little Katie?" Ducky asked, not having caught up much with the other team members due to the distance between the pair, and Ducky not using much social media and being too busy with the new role in the medical school for calling family. An exception, however, was Abby who had come across to New York to check in with her old mentor.  
"Oh, they seem to be doing well. Considering how they acted as agents, I think you'd be surprised how Tony and Ziva act as parents. To be fair, the same could have been said about McGee, or Palmer."  
Ducky smiled and nodded.  
"Quite." The British medical examiner replied. "As Abby would probably say, the kids have grown up."  
"That they have." Gibbs replied with a slight smile. "We're old men, Duck."  
"We have been for a while, Jethro." Ducky replied with a sigh. "Though, now we're also grandparents, to 5 separate children."  
"I never imagined that happening after what happened to Shannon and Kelly." Gibbs confessed with a sombre smile.  
"We're just lucky to have such a large family, even if they're not blood relatives." Ducky added in reply, which Gibbs responded to with a silent nod. The pair sat and drank in silence for a short while.  
"Tali and the twins must be absolutely smitten with 'Grampa Gibbs'." Ducky commented with a smile, referencing what Tali called the other man.  
"Yes, though they and Victoria do miss their 'Granducky'." Gibbs replied, using the same technique, though referencing a nickname Victoria had also picked up from her father.  
"Yes, well, I am trying my hardest to get some time to reunite with everyone." Ducky replied. "But, the school board is certainly tough in granting leave."  
"They're probably worried you won't come back." Gibbs replied jokingly and Ducky chuckled. The pair continued to talk like the old friends they truly were for nearly 2 hours when both realised they were completely exhausted, and had to head home, with Ducky travelling back to New York early the next morning and Gibbs of course having to work. The pair said their goodbyesand headed in opposite directions.

 **A/N: Hello! I know that this has taken a while, but I'm afraid I have some (sort of) bad news. The next chapter after this one may be significantly delayed as I am currently in the midst of moving to university, and so it may take some time to get used to that** _ **and**_ **have time for writing this. I also know that there was a lack of a particular goth forensic scientist, but do not worry as I will include her more in future chapters, I promise. I genuinely really appreciate the support that people have shown for this story and felt I owed an explanation. As ever, I am happy to take requests via PM and review.**

 **Keep on Reading  
-TheOnlineTypewriter**


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